BLM to Host Competitive Auction for Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone

Las Vegas, Nevada – As part of the Obama Administration's strategy to spur renewable energy development on public lands and the President’s comprehensive plan to cut carbon pollution and create jobs, the Bureau of Land Management will host a competitive auction for public lands in the Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone in Clark County, Nevada on June 30, 2014.

The sealed and oral bid auction will select preferred applicants to submit right-of-way applications and plans of development for utility-scale solar energy projects on up to 3,083 acres in the Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone. .

“This process will facilitate the Department’s priority approach to making appropriate public lands available for renewable energy development in the Solar Energy Zones and ensure a fair return to taxpayers for the use of these lands that belong to all Americans,” said Amy Lueders, BLM Nevada State Director.

The BLM’s auction announcement comes after a 2-year planning effort between the Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy to pave the way for utility-scale solar energy development on the public lands. The Western Solar Plan, approved in October 2012, created 17 Solar Energy Zones with access to existing or planned transmission, incentives for development within those zones and a process for considering additional zones. The competitive bidding process is required for new solar development applications in Solar Energy Zones.

Thanks in part to the Obama Administration’s investment in clean energy – the largest in American history – the United States has more than doubled renewable energy generation from wind, solar, and geothermal sources since 2008.

The Nevada Solar Energy Zone auction will take place at 10 a.m. on June 30 at the City of North Las Vegas Council Chambers, 2250 Las Vegas Blvd, North Las Vegas, Nevada 89030.

The opening bid will be determined by the minimum bonus bid or the highest sealed bid, whichever is higher. The minimum bonus bid for each parcel, which is valued at 10 percent of the rent value of the land for 1 year ($203.06 per acre for Clark County) under the BLM’s interim solar rental policy, is based on the value of the interests acquired by the preferred applicant to file an application in a Solar Energy Zone. Minimum bonus bids for the six parcels are: Parcel 1 - $14,462; Parcel 2 - $4,524; Parcel 3 - $15,406; Parcel 4 - $14,803; Parcel 5 - $10,309; and Parcel 6 - $3,101.

For more information about the competitive bid process, please contact: Greg Helseth, Renewable Energy Project Manager, at 702-515-5173, or ghelseth@blm.gov.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of Americas public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2015, the BLM generated $4.1 billion in receipts from activities occurring on public lands.